Engaged in a fiery showdown with Barça over his contract extension and forced to rest in Barcelona, ​​Dembélé could not help his team, who managed to come back to the score twice heroically, but who ended up cracking in extra time on a penalty converted by Basque captain Iker Muniain (105th).

From the 2nd minute, Muniain signed a jewel: the Basque captain brushed a long ball from the right which lobbed Marc-André Ter Stegen to come and lodge in the small net.

But Catalan rookie Ferran Torres gave him the answer in the 20th minute, with a similar goal closer, in the box.

His first since arriving in Barcelona.

At the end of the match (86th), Iñigo Martinez concluded a mess in front of Ter Stegen's cage, but Pedri got his back afloat a second time, slamming a ball from the penalty spot after a missed acrobatic return from Dani Alves (90th+3).

Fati, still injured

Despite these two unexpected returns, the defending champion, eliminated from the Champions League in December, from the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia last week and left behind in La Liga, must now say goodbye to the King's Cup... and he will only have the Europa League to console himself with.

Iker Muniain transforms the panlty of Athletic Bilbao's victory over Barça in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey in San Mames, January 20, 2022 CESAR MANSO AFP

Worse, Xavi and Barca may have lost their prodigy Ansu Fati yet again.

Barely returned from a thigh injury and recovered from Covid-19, the 19-year-old nugget, who came into play in the 61st minute in place of Ferran Jutgla, came out in tears (96th), visibly injured.

In this remake of last season's final (won 4-0 by Barça in Seville), the Basques deserved their revenge: fallen finalists of the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid on Sunday, Athletic dominated the game at home and bravely validated his ticket for the quarters.

Real Madrid players winning Elche at the Martinez Valero stadium, January 20, 2022 Jose Jordan AFP

Bilbao will notably join Real Madrid, who struggled to overcome Elche on the wire 2-1 after extra time on Thursday evening, thanks to a liberating goal from Eden Hazard in extra time.

Hazard as a savior

Without Karim Benzema, left to rest, the "Merengues" stumbled for a long time on the defense of Elche, and the locals even opened the scoring in extra time on a free kick converted in two stages by Gonzalo Verdu (103rd).

But Carlo Ancelotti's men managed to turn the situation around thanks to two goals from Isco (108th) and Belgian Eden Hazard in the 115th minute, entering at the start of extra time in place of Rodrygo and returning to grace time. of an evening, after a very discreet start to the season.

Eden Hazard scored the goal of Real Madrid's qualification for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey in Elche, January 20, 2022 Jose Jordan AFP

With a largely remodeled team, Real had the worst difficulty in the world to win, and came close to being the second Spanish great to be ejected from the Copa del Rey, after the defeat of Atlético Madrid the day before on the lawn of Real Sociedad (2-0).

The direct red card inflicted on captain Marcelo (102nd) did not help the players of the "White House", even if the two teams finished the game ten against ten, after the expulsion of Pere Milla at the end of the extra time (120th+2).

Elche can harbor regrets: from the 10th minute, the former Monegasque Guido Carrillo signed an incredible miss, hitting the crossbar.

And a goal scored by Fidel at the very end of extra time was disallowed by the referee for a foul on Lucas Vazquez.

© 2022 AFP